F14A-B

Variety is the spice of life brother, try whatever you wish.

Why not, I mean it is legal to harvest fish for consumption. Just follow state regs & enjoy it.

Stradic or Vanford depending on rod choice, & species. You simply can’t buy a better spinner for the money imo.

I use the Savage knock off and cut the fin away, that split fin is ok when dealing with grass and wood but sucks for hooksets. My son & I crushed the crappie this past spring on them.. but we had to modify the bait.

Alright I’m going to play along..

I have multiple rods rigged with different bait types, but if you only have a single rod or just pounding the bank with 1 rod then buy Spro or Owner brand. They’re the best quality you can get in freshwater sizes..

I have 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 ounce Spinnerbaits you might do well with. Xtra Grande trap baits, Use it in the GofA..

Not exactly, not for the reason you’re thinking, for me it’s more about rod type & action or its job duty then line selection. I’m YH, PLine, FC guy also. The rod, reel & line are a matched system. Imo anyway. Generally, I prefer my rods with more powerful tips/actions as in Jig-trailer’s & T-Rig’s , C-rigs etc etc

Studio Composite EX 90 D R24XXL @Smirak

The juice on spools are things like SV vs MagZ and weights on the spool & line quantity SV then SV Boost etc etc .Bearing upgrades are many depending on need. Plus being able to just transfer a spool to any other Daiwa 34 platform. @bulldog1935 has the engineering notes.. he is totally the BFS, ABU Daiwa guru, (among other things) , he can tell you off the cuff better than me by far.

Probably my favorite is the Zillion 1016, followed by the Zillion HD models.

Seeing a lot more Suzuki these days on tournament set ups.

@Chris Catignani I have definitely thought of sanding it, if I might ask, what grit would you recommend. I have it I’m sure..

One can always buy a lighter spool for any Steez @ 34mm. I don’t own a Steez but 5 Zillions & an SLP shallow spool that weighs 11 grams, not exactly a lightweight but it does an 1/8, does 3/16 real well. Matching to a proper rod is the main battle, it’s worth the investment @$90 on the SV boost..

I have an Evergreen Super Combat rod that is near 6.5 ounces, it’s quite a rod except 1 important aspect. The handle is a split grip carbon fiber & is slick as ice, even with gloves. I’m wondering if there is a solution you rod builders might recommend?

I use an IMX Pro Blue 7’heavy and it covers nearly all cranking requirements. Nearly. For my 1 1/2 ounce baits I’m using an Evergreen Super Combat Stick. It’s rated to 2 ounces and is a bomb caster when loaded up, but it’s also excellent at 1/2 ounces. 7’3” and it’s all I need on pretty much any TVA lake. Word of warning, the Carbon handle is slick and I’m searching for a solution to that but at this time I have none.

Some of us like to say “match the hatch” & in fishing I don’t believe truer words were ever spoken..

Buffalo Bill used Gunpowder 🤣

@FrnkNsteen if we were in a bar having a beer I’d simply say it’s a much softer adhesive than blue and definitely more so than red. Definitely allows removing tiny, soft screws easier when needed. I use it on certain optic plates on pistols.

I have reels with & without, the reels without, won’t be getting it added to answer your question.

I prefer full and high quality cork. However if a split grip is done properly then I like them very much. Kistler on spinning and Talon on casting, both are excellent. My Talon rods are split EVA & are done with a rather long, tapered grip. Kistler and his design is very nicely done as well. Cheap cork though. I dislike Loomis’s split grips immensely. Carbon is cool on the right rod, I have a few.. both straight & split.

This by Col. Patterson is a great read. Wrote in 1907. Easily read in a day, day & a half.

I will on reels, every 3-4 years. Rods are a thorn in my side. I have a collection of those & I won’t list or mail rods out. It’s hard to find a rod I’m crazy about since rod makers are making rods that they think works great for braid & FC & mono. The actions are inherently softer than I like. But that’s just me..

I own Stradic & Vanford. My 2500 Vanford (Shallow spool) has felt washers my FM & FL are all carbon washers. The aforementioned Vanford is a JDM model which has a 5.3:1 retrieve ratio. I’ve read on a Walleye forum the miravel isn’t holding up well and why should it, it’s internal design isn’t Stradic or Vanford. Nonetheless it’s not my personal experience but those guys that used it for walleye are hardcore. I’m sure it’s fine for occasional use for drop shot. (My opinion) Skip drop shot & use a jig & trailer 😆

I’ve been using Loomis rods since 95 & I’ve never seen that designation ever. Perhaps an Email to Shimano/Loomis might help if no one here can identify it proper.